Saskatchewan

3 women from Edmonton killed after stolen truck crashes into minivan near Alberta-Sask. border

Police are investigating after a serious collision east of Lloydminster on Highway 16.

RCMP say a 4th person was airlifted to hospital and a suspect is in custody

RCMP attended the scene of of a serious crash east of Lloydminster on Friday. (CBC)

Three people from Edmonton's Liberian community are dead and a fourth was airlifted to hospital after a two-vehicle crash just east of Lloydminster, Sask.

RCMP in Maidstone, Sask., were called around 3:10 a.m. Friday to a crash that occurred in the eastbound lane of Highway 16, five kilometres away from Lloydminister, Sask. 

Officers discovered that a stolen flat-deck truck had hit a minivan. Two women inside the van, 37 and 35, were pronounced dead at the scene, while a 53-year-old woman later died from her injuries. 

RCMP said a 32-year-old woman who was also inside the van was airlifted to a hospital in Edmonton, but her condition is unknown. 

Const. Ryan Reid said the four women are from the Liberian community in Edmonton. 

Police said the occupants of the truck fled before they arrived, but a 26-year-old man was found in the area, according to the RCMP. Reid said charges are pending.

He remains in custody and police are also investigating whether more people were involved. 

Reid said RCMP were already investigating a complaint about several stolen vehicles, including the truck involved in the crash.

The investigation remains ongoing, but the stretch of highway where the accident happened has been reopened to traffic. 

RCMP in Maidstone and members of the local emergency services and fire rescue team assisted with the investigation.

With files from The Canadian Press